Musical Aptitude Test 2025 for Year 7 September 2026 entry

Open to ‘current’ year 5 pupils - Click here to apply (application opens 06/01/2025)

20 music places of 261 available places in Year 7 for September 2026 will be allocated to children who show an aptitude for music, namely those who have demonstrated potential to develop musical skill and who will benefit from the music related facilities of Ashmole Academy. No previous knowledge or experience of musical practice or theory is necessary.

Children for whom an aptitude place is sought will be invited to attend a written musical aptitude listening test at the Academy. The listening test will take approximately forty to fifty minutes to complete, and will consist of approximately sixty questions relating to music, including pitch, shape, volume, lengths of sound, texture and speed of sound.
 

Key dates to be considered to obtain ‘music criteria’ for September 2026 - Year 7 entry

6th January 2025	Application for Musical Aptitude Listening Test OPEN
Friday 16th May 2025 (3.30pm)	Application for Musical Aptitude Listening Test CLOSED
Sunday 8th June 2025	Musical Aptitude Listening Test - held at Ashmole Academy
Tuesday 1st July 2025	Auditions for successful candidates from listening test
Wednesday 2nd July 2025	Auditions for successful candidates from listening test
Thursday 3rd July 2025	Auditions for successful candidates from listening test
1st September 2025	Secondary School Application opens with local authorities
w/c 8th September 2025	Audition Results emailed to parents N.B. Audition results ‘do not’ guarantee a place at the Academy
w/c 6th October 2025 (tbc)	Secondary Transfer Evening for prospective Y7 students (tbc)
Friday 31st October 2025	Closing Date for secondary school application via ‘home’ local authority / www.eadmissions.uk.org
Monday 2nd March 2026	National Offer Day - parents notified via www.eadmissions.org.uk and email which school they have been offered.
Application guidance	Application guidance should be sought from your ‘home’ local authority Admissions team Barnet School Admissions/Transferring to Secondary School

Application for Musical Aptitude Listening Test

Application is via an online form only which will be accessible from Monday 6th January 2025.  No previous knowledge or experience of musical practice or theory is necessary.

Please do not email the school with additional material to show your child’s achievements e.g. grade certificates or letters from music teachers as the aim is to provide a fair process for all applicants, therefore supporting documents cannot be considered.

Previous Musical Aptitude papers are not available, but the Academy will share information with the theme of the test will be provided when we respond to your application to advise of a time for the test and what your child needs to bring.
 

Attendance to Musical Aptitude Listening Test

Children who are unable to attend on the above set date for a compelling unavoidable reason (for example, compulsory religious observance, medical or disability related reasons or the loss of a close relative) should contact the Academy and will be offered one alternative date. Parents should notify the Academy of the reasons for the inability of their child to attend as soon as possible, and provide supporting evidence where relevant. It will be for the Governing Committee to decide whether it is satisfied that the reasons stated are compelling and that one other date should be offered. The Governing Committee will make decisions fairly and consistently and having regard to the need to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils as required under equalities legislation.

After the listening test

After the listening test has taken place, parents of all candidates will receive a response letter.  Candidates who achieve a mark of 45 or above will be invited to attend an audition during which they will need to sing or perform a piece on a musical instrument of their choice.  Should fewer than 100 pupils achieve a mark of 45 or above, the Governing Committee will invite the next highest scoring children to attend the audition until 100 pupils have been invited to attend the audition. In the event of a tie that results in more than 100 pupils qualifying to be invited to attend the audition, applicants who have the same next highest score will be ordered by reference to the proximity of the child’s home address (as defined by the admission policy), with those living nearer to the Academy receiving higher priority until 100 pupils have been invited to attend audition.

Audition

Candidates will be free to choose the piece they perform, which should last no longer than three minutes. The performance will take place in front of a panel of three music professionals which consists of the Academy’s music teachers and an independent music specialist. If the piece chosen runs up to three minutes, the child will be asked to stop the performance at that point. Each child will be given their own appointment for their audition, which will not take place in front of any other pupils. Again, the purpose of the audition is not to assess the child’s ability to sing or play the musical instrument, but rather to determine whether the child has the potential to learn or develop musical skills as a student of the Academy.

After all of the auditions have taken place, each child’s aptitude for music will be graded in relation to their performance at the audition. The pupils will then be ranked and the top 20 highest ranked candidates (who apply their home local authority) will be allocated an aptitude place.

Application for secondary school place

To apply for an aptitude place at Ashmole Academy, the parent/carer(s) must submit their secondary school application through www.eadmissions.org.uk or via their home local authority CAF form on or before the secondary school application closing date (see key dates), listing Ashmole Academy as one of their school preferences.

Applicants who are unsuccessful in achieving an aptitude place will then be considered for a regular place with all other applicants as outlined in the Ashmole Academy Admission Policy 2026.

For all further enquiry regarding the Musical Aptitude application process,
please contact Mrs Donelly via musicalaptitude@ashmoleacademy.org